Clarke Books

This is the original version of what most people know as "2001: A space odyssey". The differences are small, but they help make sense out of the cropped version of the story sci fi fans are famillier with.

I have been looking for this out of print gem for almost 15 years! I placed my first order with Amazon.com eight weeks ago, and, as a lark, placed an order. And here it is in my hot little hands!

This is a great service -- I'm *sorry* about the mom and pop bookshopes, but survival of the fittest and all that!

The literary equivalent of an musical b-sides and rarities compilation, this is a collection of musings on, and extracts from, early versions of the novel of '2001' - Clarke directs the reader to Jerome Agel's then-forthcoming, now-equally-out-of-print 'The Making of Kubrick's 2001' for information on the making of the film. As such, your enjoyment of this is going to depend on your opinion of Clarke's novel (which, without the film, would probably be out-of-print too), and whether you want to read disjointed chapters from early drafts. As glimpses into an alternative '2001', one that Kubrick might have filmed, it's priceless; as entertainment, it's less interesting. Like the other 'hard sci-fi' writers, Clarke is best at the science bits, and a short segment from an alternative finale, one in which the four surviving Discovery crewmembers explore a deep hole in the side of Iapetus (although, oddly, it's only referred to as 'Jupiter V' - perhaps they hadn't named it yet), is fascinating. The talky bits were never his strong point, though, and the pre-flight glimpses at Earth in the year 2001 are full of people not so much conversing, as delivering little scientific monologues at each other. As with everything else Clarke has written, none of the characters have any actual character - although it's possible that this is hyper-realism as, let's face it, most people in the real world are bland, dull and interchangeable, especially when they're at work, and Clarke's characters are always at work. Disappointingly, HAL doesn't appear at all. The other main strand personifies the monolith in the form of Clindar, a tall, noble alien who comes across as an insufferably self-righteous riff on Klaatu from 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'. One shudders to think how camp the film would have been if this had been filmed. And there are a couple of descriptions of alien landscapes and societies which are quite evocative but have a habit of repeating themselves.

There's a reprint of 'The Sentinel' as well, but if you're going to the trouble of ordering this from Amazon (it took about a month for them to find and post it to sodden, freezing, miserable London, which wasn't much slower than a normal order) you've probably read that already. In summary, then, if you're reading this you're either buzzing with curiosity or you're me, and if you're a fan of the film, the book, or Clarke it's essential. You'll probably buy it, read it once, and never read it again, though.

In this approoximately 200-page paperback you can find interesting details about the making of the movie, and learn about the people behind the ideas presented in "2001." Clarke supplies many interesting anecdotes of the making of the movie, and fills-in the reader on what the origin of some of the ideas and technologies presented in the film. For example, "HAL" was a 'real' acronym (meaning Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer), rather than a one-upsmanship game with IBM (the letters HAL are correspondingly 1 letter ahead of IBM, and many people asked Clarke about that). The historical perspective is interesting, too, since the Apollo Project and 2001 were happening at the same time--Kubrick and Clarke did not want to lose cinematic credibility to events in the so-called "space race."

I highly reccommend this book to you if you enjoyed the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey (or the movie, for that matter, but read the book version of it before you read this.) It consists of chapters that were originally written for the book, but were not used. Also included are occasional musings by Clarke on the making of the book, and behind-the-scenes glimpses at the making of the movie. He kept a journal during the entire 4-year process of the making of the works, and some of them are excerpted here. It's interesting to see some of the ideas that were thought up, but abandoned. For instance, what became HAL was originally a walking robot; the initial "Dawn of Man" scenes involved an actual alien, and there are numerous alternate endings (all of them every bit as ornate as the one we're all familar with.) This is sort of the literary equivalent of the movie industry's "The Making of Kubrick's 2001" (which I also reccommend.) A highly worthy buy for the fan.

Here we have a simple, clearly written, well illustrated book of rather dull and in some cases downright ugly dolls.

I don't agree with the previous reviewer who thought that the ethnic dolls were not very nice - I think the author is an equal opportunity insulter - black, white, old, young, male, female, each has its poster child for an ugly doll in this book! In fact the black doll shown on the front cover is one of the the nicer dolls I think.

What I find this book useful for is the basic patterns, which I think you should then take away and be more creative with. But of course, if you really like traditional rag dolls, then these are for you.

i found this book very easy to understand yet interesting.

i have made several of the dolls and feel like this author/ artist must have been very talented and creative.

well done Ms Clarke

I was very dissappointed when I received this book. From the other reviews I thought this was a quality book with multicultural dolls in it. If I were African American I would very affended by the AA dolls the author has included in this book. I would not recommend this book if you are looking for realistic doll or multicultural dolls.

This is a beautifully witten and well illustated book, well worth a read.

This book is absolutely wonderful for begginers as well as more advanced doll makers. I have made and have given away so many of these dolls that I have honestly lost count. They are easy to make and come out so adorable that everyone that I have given one to, young or old, have fallen in love with them. They are very addicting to make as well. I do many crafts and make many dolls and I always come back to this book to make more of these great dolls. Thank you so much to the author for such a awesome book!

Has a lot of interesting diagrams but some are ilegible (can not read them) cause is black and white all of them, only portrait in color.

This repair manual has been worth it's weight in gold! Great pictures, and thorough, complete guidance!

If you own a pre-mid 70's Mercedes-Benz, this is the best money you will spend outside of having the original, factory to dealer shop manual (which is VERY expensive). It is better illustrated and written than all of the other manuals I have for my car (a 1968 280SE - injected) - and it costs about a third of the price. It is particularly helpful with all of the intricate settings of the mechanical fuel injection and tune-up procedures, explaining them in clear detail with very helpful diagrams and photos. All inclusive tables have "at a glance" references for such things as ignition timing, points gap, spark plug gap, vacuum advance on the distributor, etc. If you have anything from Mercedes built from about 1950 to 1971/2 - you need this book.

this book may be fine if you have a pre 1966 model
nothing here says what years it covers

this is a very help book it told me evry i was looking for if have 1972 mercedes i just bought and i was looking for the right manual this took me through every that i was looking for i strong suggest this book to any one looking for a good repair manual for you old mercedes buy it.

Based on the previous reviews of this book, I relied on this book as my main source to get me through the exams, and I was very disappointed. The Advanced Admin section was adequate, but just barely. I passed the exam, however there were several questions on the exam on points that were not even mentioned in the book. The NDS Design & Implementation section, however was much worse. One of the keys to passing the test is knowing the concept of how Subordinate Reference Replicas are placed inside and out, and how to read a server chart to determine where these SR Replicas are placed. The book mentions how these types of replicas are placed in one or two very cryptic sentences and only mentions that you need to know how to read a server chart without actually explaining it. I failed this test miserably on my first try. After that I visited a friend of mine who is a CNE, and she drew me a server chart and explained how to determine how SR replicas are placed, and I 'got it' in about 5 minutes - it really isn't all that difficult of a concept. I retook the test one week after the initial attempt and aced it. In fairness, the section on Design & Implementation does cover EVERYTHING ELSE you need to know for the exam in sufficient detail and explains it very well. So, if you rely on this book for the Design and Implementation exam, make sure to know everything in that section of the book, and then seek out an actual CNE and have them explain to you how to place Subordinate Reference Replicas. I cannot overemphasize how important that is for the exam.

This book is the exact same thing as the larger CNE study guide but without all of the stupid ACME jokes and cross word puzzles. Many of the passages in the larger guide are just copied and pasted into this book. There are a few things however that just aren't covered in enough detail. You have to have a good knowledge before you read this book. If you are going to use this alone I would make sure you have a practice server to play with.

I know that this book is suppose to augment the main CNE book. But quite honestly I only read this book for both tests and passed both of them in one day with just reading this book. I found it to be very good and accurate for these tests and had no problems passing both tests. And if I can do it with only reading this book, anyone can.

Dack N+, CNA+4, MCP, CCNA

The author clearly intends this book to be supplemental to his larger study guides, or to some respectable knowledge of networking and NetWare in particular. As such, there's nothing like it on the market. If you can't pass the test with this book, regroup and buy a Dummies title on basic networking.

This book covers everything you need for the 2 related exams. It's very thorough, and explains things well.

It's an expensive book with only THREE stories from the whole of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. From the title and reviews I thought I'm getting the whole book, with illustrations only for three of the stories. That aside, the illustrations are great! Unfortunately, the reading text is also set in the ornate typography used for the title. While it works very well used as display typography - for titles, chapter headings, etc., this typeface is very unsuitable for reading as text. The book jacket is also slightly yellow around the edges, with a bit of the lamination peeling off. (Guess it's a very old stock. I've got a replacement from Amazon and both books are the same.)

Having never read Edgar Allen Poe I was quite pleased with his writing. One of my favorite stories out of the plethera of choices was the Gold Bug. At first I was relucant to continue with the book. It was going slow and was hard to interpret. Then in the middle of the story it picked up pace and had some mystery and magic in it. I became fixed with reading it and figuring out how they found the treasure and how it was all possible. The process of the way the treasure was found was fantastic. This book has many of Poe's greatest writings. And that is what made it great. You didn't ahve to get a lot of books to read many of his stories, you could simply just get one and read many. This book contained many great short stories. It is a must read.

I read this book about a year ago and loved it. I'm the type of person who reads before they go to sleep and I had to put this book down because it was so frightening. I loved the way Poe drew me into the story and kept me begging for more. I was always curious to know what happened next, even if I was terrified. My favorite of all the stories was the "Cask of Amontillado". It was so creative how you became almost like a part of the story.

I had read some of Mr. Poe's tales at different times during the course of my life, but I had never before sat down to read all of his most important ones before I picked up this book. I found this an incredible thing to do, because I was faced with the genius that was Poe. Most of us know that he was the father of the short story genre, and that many famous authors (not the least of which were Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie) tried to follow in his footsteps. This is an almost impossible task because the genius of Poe was his poet's nature which allowed him to write very beautiful prose too. He also had the gift of mixing his impalpable shadows of mystery which run through all his tales with an almost obsessive attention to detail. This brought his stories to life when he wrote them, and this power still brings them to life today. It is difficult to pick a favourite tale out of so many gems, but I'd have to go with "The Black Cat", I think. In this tale Poe's protagonist allows a very intimate glimpse of the darkest recesses of his souls, and we descend into madness with him. This is an eerily beautiful world here and not for the faint of heart.

I felt chilled reading this collection of Poe's all time best stories. I especially loved the eerieness of The Cask of Amontialldo and the insanity of the narrator in the The Balck Cat, all so frightly believable. The illustrations top it off by adding a magical touch of frightful imagery to the collection.

Realizing that time out wasn't working for my little one, I turned to this book and found it worked most of the time...NOT always. Of course, you cannot do any form of discipline every time but this gave me more positive options for disciplining my kiddos without yelling or punishing every time. I was impressed with the simplicity of the book, the length (who has a lot of time to read when chasing kiddos around:) and the content.

This book was such a quick and easy read. I think it's a good part of a mother's overall loving guidance toolbox. I use the "ask, act, amend, attend" techniques it recommends with my child. I also draw on other techniques to help me with positive discipline, so, while this doesn't provide the whole picture, it's a great piece.

I think this book outlines what the parents of the United States need to do to discipline their children. This book is short and has short chapters for the busy parent or caregiver. The process of discipline suggested can be adapted to any situation or set of values. It does, however, assume that the reader is willing to put time and effort into becoming a good caregiver of children. The philosophy of this book is in connecting children with their caregivers through stopping unwanted behavior, making a connection by teaching the child what you want them to learn, and therfore how to solve their own problems and take responsibility for the outcomes of their actions and attitudes.

I love this book, which advocates teaching children the skills to think about what they are doing or have done (through Ask and Attend), and to change their behavior and make amends (through Act and Amend). This approach works beautifully when you have plenty of time to use the teachable momment. I've used it for playground issues and sibling issues, among other things.

However, sometimes a faster strategy is needed. For example, imagine children getting a bit rowdy in the library, chasing each other through the stacks. You need a quick, immediate way to bring the festivities to a halt. For those scenarios, I recommend the "1-2-3 Magic" book. Once your kids are trained in the 1-2-3 approach, you can just stand there and count "1, 2..." and before you get to three all of your children will be standing in front of you. (I speak from experience here - the 1-2-3 approach is very fast and gets immediate compliance.)

Anyway, in a situation like the library above, after your children are standing quietly in front of you, you can switch to the "Time-In" approach, asking them how they think other people in the library feel, etc...

Definitely worth a read.

I read this book on recommendation of my local librarian. It is a short, easy read with some practical tips on disciplining your children. May not be as useful for parents of very young children (toddler years). I liked the way she gives examples using different aged children from 3 to 12 years old. Many of the ideas are not profound, but provide a fresh approach to methods you may already be using. Lots of good references listed. This book is concise and reassuring, but not for you if you are looking for a deep philosophical read on child rearing.

Letters are interesting to read and you get a real feeling for how needy he must have been to be loving everyone so much.
I think it is better to read his biography first, so that you know who the people are in the letters. It's a little confusing otherwise. That's what I plan to do.

When you read personal correspondence written to friends, lovers, and business associates . . . well, it doesn't get any better! Candid, un-censored, witty, funny, revealing, cutting . . . it's all there! A great look at the true Truman Capote. Very interesting.

I always loved Truman Capote's writing and looked forward to this book oh, so much, especiallywhen I saw it was edited by the estimable Gerald Clarke, who has written so brilliantly on Capote in his biography (and who also wrote GET HAPPY, a terrific life of Judy Garland). (Hmmm, he must specialize in the tiny.)

But alas Capote's letters just aren't as good as his fiction. They seem hurried, scattered, as though he were writing too fast to revise, everything exactly the opposite of what one likes about the stories and filmscripts. I will say you do get a different side of him, and the outlines of his social world become clearer, so view this compilation as an addendum to the biography, and you won't go far wrong.

I was surprised to see him make so much of (i.e. flatter) Cecil Beaton, it sounded phony. It seems that he treated Newton Arvin pretty well all things put together. Some have said that he "used" Arvin to get ahead and then dumped him once he had found a measure of his own success. But Arvin can't have been an easy guy to live with IMHO. Another interesting correspondent is William Goyen. I think the best letter in all of TOO BRIEF A TREAT is Capote's letter congratulating Goyen on the achievement of THE HOUSE OF BREATH. That letter, in the perfection of its phrases and the conviction of its rapture, is alone worth the price of the book. It's a shame that Goyen later turned on Capote and treated him so shabbily. Good for Gerald Clarke for pointing this out.

Meanwhile the good news for Capote fans is that his novel SUMMER CROSSING, about which many of the letters to Bob Linscott are devoted, has been recovered and now, fifty-plus years later, it might be seeing the light of day. In the interim we will re-read these letters, hoping to scan in more data on the terrific catastrophe that was Truman Capote's life.

Truman Capote is one of my all time favorite writers so I was surprised that his letters are somewhat of a disappointment. The letters span 46 years with the majority of them from the late 40s and 50s. It's too bad that there are only a handful of correspondence from Capote's celebrated period following the release of "In Cold Blood," a book which turned him into a celebrity. I suppose he was too busy with his success and celebrity to write letters during this period. There is nothing about his famous Black and White Ball or the infamous article which scandalized the jet set. Hardly anything is here from the 70s either, a period in which he was practically a household name, appearing in movies and talk shows.

What is included are letters to his editors, Robert Linscott and Bennett Cerf, discussing his work and responding to criticism. Many letters to his lovers also are included but Capote seemed to have been very discreet (unlike in public life). Letters to David Selznick and Jennifer Jones give us a glimpse into the years of Hollywood life but very little juicy gossip - they leave the reader wanting more. During the years of Capote's research for "In Cold Blood," he corresponded frequently with Alvin Dewey, the detective in charge of the case, and his wife Marie. These letters are mainly questions from Capote concerning details of the case and Capote providing the Deweys with access to his Hollywood friends. Letters to the Dewey's son, Alvin Jr., show remarkable affection and advice and criticism to an aspiring writer.

Capote was a wanderer and his letters were written from his various residences across the globe - Sicily, Spain, Paris, Switzerland, Venice, California, New York, Alabama, etc. Jack Dunphy, his longtime companion is often mentioned with love and affection. Cecil Beaton and Christopher Isherwood were also frequent correspondents, but again, very little gossip.

The letters do show that Capote was obviously a very compassionate man and despite his biting wit and bitchy persona, they reveal a warm and caring man.

"Your letter was too brief a treat, but a treat all the same; there is only one excitement to my day, and that is when the postman comes." So wrote the author who sometimes waited an hour for the best word to come to mind when engaged in concocting a novel, yet spun off letters to friends and colleagues like cotton candy.

Truman Capote, to whom fame came early and lasted long, called all of his correspondents by such adorations as "precious baby, darling child." To almost anyone he was likely to say, "much love, little blue eyes" or "I miss you 24 hours of the day" or "a thousand kisses, precious." It seemed that nearly everyone he wrote to was his darling, his love, and wanted showering with kisses.

Not that he couldn't be cutting and catty, though always with gentility, at least on paper: "I'm afraid he's set fire to too many bridges"; "he's furious because anyone other than himself is here" (of W.H. Auden); and, of Jimmy (James) Baldwin, "his essays are at least intelligent, though they almost invariably end on a fakely hopeful, hymn-singing note."

Of his early work on IN COLD BLOOD he wrote, "This is my last attempt at reportage." Like almost every writer, he wanted to know what the critics were really thinking and get copies of all his reviews. He managed to sound both humble and very puffy when referring to his successes, and terribly anxious about the fate of pieces in progress.

A collection of so very many letters (for that is all the book is) can start to feel water-logged after a while. It's a good thing to recall that posterity will not necessarily be fascinated by one's complaints about the cold, the prices of goods in foreign cities, or the antics of one's pets (and Truman had many). We would all make our letters more artistic and succinct if we imagined that they'd be read generations hence.

So we can speculate on two forking probabilities. One: that Capote well knew that his words would be taken for gemstones ages from now and wrote with the cagey casualness of the omniscient observer. Two: that Capote never imagined for an instant that anyone would collect his letters to friends and place them on the altar of memory for the entire world to see.

I prefer the second alternative, because I like thinking of Capote as a natural, sweet-hearted man, who showed his artistic brilliance to the public but saved his syrup and a touch of spice for his epistolary relationships.

TOO BRIEF A TREAT is a book for fans of the genre and of the man.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott, author of WITH IT: A Year on the Carnival Trail

Is it an art book or is it a cookbook? White Heat by Marco Pierre White is both.
The first half is filled with wonderful black and white photographs by Bob Carlos Clarke of Marco in his adrenaline-filled, psychotic kitchen nightmare. These photographs are not the stock photos that fill most cookbooks of chef and crew posing for the camera, but moments in time, frozen by the camera's lens, of a real chef in the midst of cooking, tasting, plating and living.
The second half of the book is a cookbook, but don't expect to be cooking these dishes unless you have a squadron of prep cooks in your closet to help you out. They are `food porn' brought to us with Marco's recipes and beautiful color photography by Michael Boys. This is the type of cookbook that keeps me up at night. If you're familiar with other chef's cookbooks such as The French Laundry Cookbook, then you know what I mean. This is a cookbook of dreams, not recipes.
Marco Pierre White was born in Leeds, England and is proud of it. Throughout the text interspersed with the black and white photographs, we get a glimpse of the man who, at age 33, became the world's youngest and only Britsh chef to win three Michelin stars. In a style similar to that of Anthony Bourdain in his bestseller Kitchen Confidential, we get Marco's thoughts on everything from caterers who couldn't make it as real chefs to what brought him into the crazy world of food service in the first place. His rants go from tender to explosive at the drop of a hat, reminiscent of his reputation as the original Rock and Roll chef. Since his rise to greatness in 1991, Marco has stopped cooking himself to focus on his food empire, White Star Line Groups, which includes such London eateries as The Mirabelle and The Oak Room. What a loss to the food world.
This schizophrenic book is a must own for anyone who wants a peek into the kitchen of a world renowned chef from the point of view of both his diners and his fellow chefs. Its a book that is as comfortable on the coffee table as it is in the kitchen, not necessarily for its recipes, but for the inspiration that they provide. Make sure to also look for Marco Pierre White's other three cookbooks The Mirabelle Cookbook, Wild Food From Land and Sea, and Canteen Cuisine.

White Heat and Canteen Cuisine by MPW are my most used cook books - ever. The recipes are cleverly built: you have building blocks of sub recipes and side "dishes". But be beware, you have to be serious about cooking to like this and prepared to spend time with your food. If you are, then you are up for treat. Some of the recipes are complex, but they are all doable for a meticulous home cook.

All my sauce foundations now come from MPW, I cook more than I need and freeze them for 1-3 months in 2 dl portions. Makes following the recipes a lesser of an effort.

The photography is wonderful; full of black and white photos of the chef at work with colour shots of the food. The recipes are for dedicated cooks; and there are some dishes I doubt anyone would try (stuffed trotters??). Although some look simple there are always basic sauces and stocks one must have to procede. The food is beautifully presented and gives the host/ess a real idea on how you can serve stylish restaurant food at home. It is worthwhile to browse this book for ideas. The desserts are great and more manageable.

As a chef I enjoyed reading this book getting new ideas and trying different variations of Marco's recipes. The Lobster Ravioli was a favourite as I am a big fan of seafood. His desserts are quite refreshing in their style, they are nice and light with the exception of a couple of recipes. As an Australian chef I am subject to a lot of styles of cuisine.I have an almost readily availability of any ingredient that I need and can cook any style that the restaurant desires, as the Australian people are willing to try any style of food. Thank-you for giving me this opportunity to review one of your books. Yours sincerely , Adam Docherty

For serious cooks only; this is one of my cook book bibles, I've even successfully cooked the stuffed pigs trotters, very difficult and time consuming, and for sanity's sake not to be attempted more than once a year, but definitely worth it (or otherwise go to La Tante Claire in London to experience the original), however the Lemon Tart is easy and divine. This is the sort of book I expect from the very best Chefs and Marco Pierre White delivers, giving great ideas for serious cooking.

Irving's book on the Alhambra and the surrounding territory of Granada remains one of the best guidebooks to the region--and one of the most entertaining travelogues ever written. Anyone who has visited (or plans to visit) southern Spain will be thrilled by the account of Irving's trip, but I'll go further: you need not ever go there to enjoy this classic work of history and humor.

Irving stayed at the Alhambra for three months in 1829 and jotted down notes concerning its history and legends. Early in his visit, Irving was accosted by Mateo Ximenes, a credulous and indigent "son of the Alhambra" who soon proves a worthy and endearing companion, a guide to secret chambers, and a conveyor of whimsical traditions. A couple of years later, while in London, Irving wrote "The Alhambra," describing his idiosyncratic hosts, recounting the millennium-old history of the Moorish occupation, and transcribing fresh versions of the palace's medieval legends and myths, many of which resemble stories from the "Arabian Nights." The first edition appeared in 1832, a second American edition was published four years later, but Irving extensively revised and enlarged the book in 1851, incorporating material unavailable or unknown to him in the 1830s. This last edition is the one most commonly available today.

The result is easily Irving's most accessible book, filled with wit and anecdote. Alongside the history of the Moorish kingdom of Granada, Irving intersperses tales (both historical and mythical) of enchanted caves, imprisoned princesses, and buried treasure. His admiration for Islamic heritage is obvious throughout: "The Arab invasion and conquest brought a higher civilization and a nobler style of thinking, into Gothic Spain." And he regularly denounces the prejudices (both medieval and contemporary) "so strongly characteristic of the bigot zeal, which sometimes inflamed the Christian enterprises" and which have prevented his fellow Europeans from studying a rich and justifiably proud tradition.

As Irving accurately summarizes, Moslem Spain was "a region of light amid Christian, yet benighted Europe; externally a warrior power fighting for existence; internally a realm devoted to literature, science, and the arts; where philosophy was cultivated with a passion . . . and where the luxuries of sense were transcended by those of thought and imagination." Plus, the Islamic "occupiers" and Christian warriors certainly knew how to tell a good story. This book will delight both history and literature buffs.

I don't always like to read classics, but when a friend of mine suggested that I read this book, I decided to try it, and I am very glad that I did. Irving's words, though written so many years before now, still paint eloquent pictures of the Spain of his time. I could almost see what he was seeing. The stories and legends are also wonderful and fascinating. An antique copy of this book is one of my most treasured gifts.

I ordered this as a gift for my Ma.

When I visited her a few weeks later I saw something that looked like

a high schooler had copied at kinkos.

The type is blurry and smudged.

Some paragraphs are unreadable.

Will Amazon take it back?

No, it been more than 30 days....40 days to be exact.

I will not purchase gift books from Amazon again...better off going to Borders....get a

clean copy and ship it yourself.

Many Americans know Washington Irving as the author of "the Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle". Few realize that he was also a world traveler, scholarly fluent in Arabic and Spanish and something of an Hispanophile, to the say least.
Irving's book is largely responsible for the widespread romantic image of Spain. It is a collection of observation, history, fairy tale, written in Irving's unique blend of romanticism and healthy skepticism. It is roughly framed by his journey to the Alhambra and his departure from it, an in between we are given a tour of the grounds and hear a few tales (including tales of Moorish ghosts on headless horses) which are roughly intertwined as in the Arabian Nights. Indeed, this little book is the 'Arabian Nights' of the west.
Before visit the Alhambra read this book. If you are not planning on going, read it and you'll probably change your mind.

Hi all,

I would like to give a word of advise for this book, as it is a great book! Never understood the differences quite well between the different 02`s. After reading only the first chapter everything was clear to me! I self working on a restoration and I do think that this books contributes in a very good way to a make a full and original 02 again!

Thanks,
Pascal.

I just finished this book and I am very pleased with it. I purchased this book from Amazon hoping to learn the history, year by year details, availibility, and possible modifications of the BMW 2002. My expectations were exceeded. The well divided chapters do a good job of explaining the details in plain English with a good number of pictures and illustrations. Just remember that "wings" actually means fender or quarter panel in the author's dialect. There is a good section on how to properly approach a restoration project with plenty of pictures.
This is a great book for a novice or BMW enthusiast. I plan to purchase 2002 and this book gave the information I needed to make an educated decision.

The book was authoritive in its portrayal of the 2002's history and gave very good advice in what to look for in purchacing one. In my opinion too much of the book was spent covering extremely rare 2002s and ones that were not imported to the US. I would have rather seen more detail on the more common US models and more detail pictures of what the original (US) equipment was like. Some of the pictures and English terminology were not very clear to me. If you're interested in buying a 2002 it is a good book to have, but you may want to supplement it with others.

I'm looking to buy a 2002 and found some help in reading this book. Nevertheless, there is a lot of detail here that may be of some interest to enthusiasts, but was a little more than a novice like myself needs to know. Utlimately, the book is what it promises to be, "a comprehensive guide".